Butterflies

The Butterfly slouched. The weight of its wings now depressingly heavy, the once vibrant colours now dimmed. His mouth felt dusty and any strength he once had to float majestically had long since been cruelly denied him by the brutal winds and lashing rain that forced him into this dank and unfamiliar shelter. He used his last energy to raise his eyes and gaze at his final resting place. The sound of the rain eased outside the gloomy cave. It didn't matter anymore. A lonely sort of longing flooded the butterflies heart as the topmost tip of the sun broke the bullet grey clouds and flooded the cave with glistening light. This wasn't such a bad way to go.
He laid his head on the floor and felt life slowly dripping away from him. Memories from his short life engulfed him and an unbearable sadness washed over him as he felt not only his own pain, but the pain of the others that loved him.
Turtle slowly and wearily emerged from his cosy shell. Finally the rain was easing and though the beach was sodden, the rays of sunlight brought hope and life to the breathtaking tropical view.
The clouds parted and the rays of sunlight looked like paths to the clouds, a pink between heaven and earth that was too beautiful for a mortal soul to travel. His nose poked out from under his shell, taking a deep breath of energised air. 
The first light stung his eyes, so he shut them again to take the refreshing gulp of air.
Now was a good time for a walk. His legs had been folded for five days during the torrential storm, an overwhelming urge to stretch and walk engulfed him and he did nothing to resist the urge to plod for hours. At first, his legs felt heavy, the kind of stiffness that feels like nettles on every fibre of his muscles. It got easier as he walked, each step brought a freedom from the stiffness and he felt like he could walk for days. A lightness filled his body with energy. He looked up at the clouds and his legs felt lighter than the clouds.
Turtle started down a path he knew well, it was well worn by the pedestrian traffic of other such wildlife to inhabit the island, but now most were still hidden in shelter, he felt safe to go alone.
After many hours, he veered slightly on a whim and before long happened across a dingy cave, a putrid smell emanated from its depths but his sense of adventure overtook his soul and carried his legs forward. 
The cave entrance was jagged rock, water trickled over the hard surface and the depth was the deepest of black he had ever seen. Just far enough into the cave where his eyes needed to adjust to the darkness, turtle stopped abruptly next to the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and merely gazed for seconds that contained eternities. At once, his heart was filled with pure wonder at what he was seeing, followed almost immediately by overpowering sadness at its lifeless form. Tears stung his eyes as he blinked back the aching in his heart. he wore bravery well and not one creature had ever seen even a trace of tear stain on his cheek before, but this second contained a desperate sadness and tears flowed down the turtles cheek and cascaded to the floor where the lifeless form of butterfly lay. But was he lifeless? Every tear that splashed on the cave floor was a fountain of life to butterfly. He drank deeply this nourishing gift of sustenance, savouring each delicious mouthful. Butterfly finally had the strength to once again raise his gaze and he looked deeply into turtles eyes. He had saved his life. He thanked him, spread his beautiful wings and left the cave.